


Unintentional Proposition

by Rilannon



Category: British Comedy RPF
Genre: Hand Jobs, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Oral Sex, Self Confidence Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:27:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23769718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rilannon/pseuds/Rilannon
Summary: Joe makes James a joke offer in order to cheer him up from a downward spiral. James takes it more seriously than intended.
Relationships: James Acaster/Joe Lycett
Comments: 8
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> From the britcom anon meme. 
> 
> Based on Joe's episode of Off Menu where he explains how he tries to shake James out of his self-pity spirals after gigs.

Joe has had enough. He came over to see James for a drink and a friendly catch up, not to listen in excruciating detail about how James was a failure as a comic. He knew that James still struggled with his mental health sometimes, he was in a much better place than the infamous breakdown but he still had moments of crippling self doubt. Joe always did his best to butt in before James could get going, not letting him get started on his spiral of self pity. He made sure that any positive feedback he got from friends and family that had seen James perform was passed straight on to him and cut off the inevitable doubting reply, often with a simple ‘Wrong!’  
  
Currently however, James had got himself started while Joe had been in the kitchen topping up their drinks. They had been having a perfectly nice conversation about upcoming TV work and how busy they were getting, but when Joe had got back James was rambling to himself about how shit he was as a presenter. It had only spiralled from there, and Joe has finally had enough. He sits up from the corner of the sofa that he was curled in and puts his drink on the table, interrupting James's monologue. ‘OK, I’ve had enough of this shit.’  
  
James just blinks at him. ‘...What?’  
  
Joe rolls his eyes. ‘This! This self-flagellating bullshit. Honestly, I don’t know how Ed puts up with it.’ James just stares at him for a moment, his mouth moving soundlessly. Joe savours the quiet for a moment before sighing and turning on the sofa to face James fully. ‘I know you don’t believe it, but you are very good at what you do. You’ve worked hard to get where you are, and you’ve ended up as a very funny and successful comedian. I always love watching you perform, you’ve got a level of skill that the rest of us can only dream of.’ He reaches for his drink again, ignoring James starting to blush. ‘Not the most natural TV presenter though, I’ll admit.’ He shoots a grin at James as he takes a sip and is quietly relieved to see James give a small smile in return. ‘It’s nice to see that even someone as talented and lovely as you can’t be perfect.’ He shrugs. ‘We can’t all be Ant and Dec.’  
  
That gets a genuine chuckle out of James, before he glances down, fiddling with his phone. ‘Yeah...’ He shoots Joe a sly glance through his fringe. ‘Or TV’s Joe Lycett.’ Joe grins, taking another sip of his drink. ‘Well... Most of presenting is just small talk, you know I can chat with anyone.’ James nods, smiling, but his smile dims as he turns his attention back to his phone. Joe frowns over his drink. ‘What’s up? You’ve been distracted all evening. Come on, talk to Mummy.’  
  
James huffs out a laugh, the corner of his mouth curling up. ‘Nah, it’s just...’ He hesitates for a moment, but Joe just waits him out. ‘I had a date the other night, but I haven’t heard anything from her since.’ He runs his hand through his hair, fluffing it up. ‘I wouldn’t mind so much, but it keeps happening. I get a couple of dates in, I think it’s going well, and then I never hear from her again.’  
  
Joe makes a sympathetic noise. ‘Does this tend to happen before or after you’ve had sex with them?’ He holds his hands up in apology as James glares at him. ‘Don’t look at me like that, I’m just trying to get all the facts.’  
  
James's glare doesn’t change. ‘The sex has been fine, thank you very much.’ He reaches for his own drink. ‘I’m awkward, not incompetent.’ He takes a sip, not making eye contact, a blush high on his cheekbones. ‘The last couple haven’t even got that far to be honest.’  
  
Joe nods. ‘OK, so it’s not a sex thing then.’ He ignores the second glare James sends his way and ponders the situation. ‘I have to admit, unless I actually see you in a date environment I’m a bit stumped. I would consider you _quite_ the catch.’ He grins at James's blush. James ducks his head, suddenly seeming much younger than his actual age. ‘... Really?’  
  
Joe nods, not wanting to give James even a moment to doubt himself. He was sick of that. ‘Oh yes! Funny, generous, kind... Handsome.’ James is still blushing, but he manages to meet Joe's eyes. ‘Handsome, huh?’  
  
Joe wasn’t unaware that James was attractive, but he had put him firmly in the ‘friends only’ category in his mind not long after they had met. Now he allows himself the luxury of checking James out. Purely in the interests of honesty, you understand. ‘Yeah... Tall, slim, stunning cheekbones. Massive hands.’ The innuendo in his voice gets a smile from James. Joe feels himself smile in return. ‘Gorgeous smile.’ James laughs. ‘OK, I think my ego has had enough stroking for one day.’  
  
Joe leans back against the sofa. ‘OK, OK.’ He takes another drink, noticing that his glass was nearly empty. ‘I really don’t know why you’re having problems with women at the moment, maybe it’s just a run of bad luck.’ He waits for James to take another mouthful of his drink. ‘Mind you, if you're just hard up for it, I’d be more than happy to suck you off.’  
  
His words have the desired effect. James does a massive spit take, spraying the table in front of him and blushing bright red. Joe can’t help but laugh as James wipes his face with the back of his hand and goes to grab a tissue to clean up. ‘I’m sorry, but you made it far too easy. I couldn’t help myself.’ James nods, grinning. ‘No, that’s fair enough. And for the record, I’m not that hard up for it.’ Joe grins back at him. ‘Duly noted.’ They both finish cleaning up the table and James goes to refill their drinks.  
  
When he gets back Joe deliberately changes the topic, glad that James seems to have been sufficiently distracted from his impending angst spiral. In fact, as the evening goes on and they get drunker, James seems to be distracted full stop. He blushes every time Joe says anything even remotely suggestive, unable to maintain eye contact for more than a few seconds. If Joe didn’t know any better, he would swear James was uncomfortable. He makes a joke about both of them having practice being on their knees, for different reasons, but as he watches James swallow and blush fiercely rather than laugh, the proverbial light bulb goes off in his brain and he blurts the words out before he can think about it.  
  
‘You’re still thinking about it, aren’t you? Me sucking you off.’  
  
James somehow blushes even more, fidgeting in his seat like he wants to just get up and run away from the whole conversation. Joe just watches him, waiting, and eventually he seems to realise that Joe isn’t going to let him get away with hiding. He sighs. ‘Yeah... I’m sorry, I know it was just a joke.’ Joe shakes his head, feeling the buzz of the alcohol that they’ve both been drinking in his veins. ‘All good jokes start from a kernel of truth, you know that.’ James’s head shoots up at that, making eye contact for the first time in a while, and Joe’s heart thumps in his chest. There’s a heat and intention in James's gaze that wasn’t there earlier, and Joe feels his pulse speed up in response.  
  
Joe breaks the moment to check his phone, mostly to give himself a moment to regain his composure and to decide if he wants to do this. He knows that James isn’t going to make the first move, he’s far too awkward and inexperienced with men. He does a double take when he sees the time on his phone however. ‘Shit, is that the time? I need to go.’ He looks back at James apologetically. ‘I’ve got filming tomorrow, I need to get up early.’ James looks away, his hand coming up to ruffle through his hair. ‘Yeah, OK.’ Joe thinks he can hear a note of disappointment in his tone as he gets up to gather his things and order a taxi.  
  
He's just getting his shoes on, wobbling on one leg in the narrow hallway of James’s flat when James comes back from putting their glasses in the kitchen. He slumps in the doorway, but there’s a subtle tension there, and Joe knows that he has to say something, to get them on the same page before James starts overthinking everything again. He gets his shoes on and takes half a step towards James. ‘Just to be clear, I’m not leaving because I’m not interested in sucking your cock. I really do have an early pick up for filming tomorrow.’ James doesn’t move from the doorway, although the blush is back. Joe takes a deep breath and takes the plunge. ‘It's not a one-time-only offer either. If you ever do get hard up for it, and you’re interested, just let me know.’  
  
This time James nods, once. ‘Yeah, OK.’ He gives a wry smile that does interesting things to Joe’s insides. ‘I’ll think about it.’ He chuckles to himself, his voice low. ‘I don’t think I’m going to stop thinking about it tonight, if I'm honest.’  
  
Joe grins, slow and flirty. ‘Well _that_ is a mental image I’m not going to forget in a hurry.’ James grins back, bashful, and Joe is annoyed that he has to leave tonight, because James is flirting back and he suddenly wants to see where this is going. His phone pings to signal that the taxi is nearly there, and James pushes himself off the door frame and takes half a step towards Joe and the door behind him. ‘Thanks for coming round.’  
  
Joe smiles, trying to show his mixed emotions on his face, hoping James can read it so he doesn’t have to spell it out. ‘The pleasure was all mine.’ He grabs his bag and turns to the door. ‘Goodnight James.’  
  
James comes up behind him, holding the door open as Joe steps through into the stairwell. ‘Goodnight.’ Joe waves as he heads down the stairs, out of the building and into the waiting taxi, his heart still pounding as he lets himself replay the evening in his head. He wonders whether James will have his big gay freak-out and decide that this was a terrible idea, but in the dark of his bed that night he allows himself to imagine the best possible outcome, and after he cleans up he drifts off into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been considering writing a second chapter for this since I wrote the original part, and I've finally finished it! Hope you enjoy.

Joe is staying in London again, getting ready for bed after another block of filming. He’s meeting up with a bunch of comedian friends the following night for a big group dinner, no reason other than to catch up and he’s looking forward to it. It feels like forever since he's had the chance to just hang out with all his friends, everyone so busy with TV work and tours and life in general. 

His phone buzzes with a message from James. It’s been a few weeks since Joe had been round James's flat and unintentionally propositioned him, and James had responded positively. They haven’t spoken about it since, or even much at all, and Joe had resigned himself to the reality that the heat and tension between them wasn’t going to be realised after all. He opens up James's message with only a little trepidation. 

‘Hey Joe. You free? Need to vent a little.’

Joe smiles, glad that their friendship seemed to be unaffected and calls James back. The phone barely rings before James picks up. ‘Hey, wasn’t sure if you would still be up.’

Joe grins. ‘I was just getting ready for bed. Had a long hard day filming.’ James makes an interesting noise on the other end of the phone which Joe politely ignores. ‘What’s up?’ James sighs. There’s a rustle from the phone that tells Joe that James is in bed too, the image of him tucked up under his duvet unfolding in his mind. ‘You remember the last time you came over mine, the other week?’

Joe feels his heart thump in his chest at the reminder. ‘Yeah?’

‘Well I’m still having the same problem. I had a date tonight, third date, she was lovely, we were getting along really well, and yet here I am, going home alone. Again.’ 

Joe feels himself relax. James clearly only wanted further advice. ‘Look, I don’t know what more I can tell you. Unless you’re coming on a bit strong to them, but that doesn’t seem like you.’ 

James sighs again. ‘I guess I have been a little... frustrated recently. Maybe that’s it.’

Joe smiles. ‘That could do it. Apparently women can smell desperation on a man from 30 paces.’ James chuckles at that, low and intimate into Joe’s ear. ‘I thought my aftershave would cover it up, clearly not.’ There’s a pause before James speaks again. ‘You could say I’m a bit hard up for it.’

Something in his tone, careful and deliberate, makes Joe inhale sharply. His brain immediately goes back to the last time they saw each other, his own words being echoed back to him. ‘Oh really?’ He winces at how low and flirty his voice has gone. 

‘Yeah.’ The warmth in James's voice is unmistakable. Joe can hear the click as James swallows over the phone line. ‘I remember... That is, you mentioned... I was wondering...’ 

Joe smiles, but his heart rate has picked up. He could politely turn James down, and he knows that James would never bring it up again out of embarrassment and sheer politeness. On the other hand, offering to suck someone’s cock isn’t something he does lightly. ‘James... The offer still stands, but if you can’t actually say the words it won’t happen.’

There’s silence from the phone. Joe worries that James won’t be able to say it, but then... ‘Joe? Would you be able to come over and... suck my cock?’ There’s a roughness to James's voice that Joe hasn’t heard before and it sends warmth through him, a subtle tension to his frame. He's aware that his own voice has gone slightly rough as he responds. ‘Yes, but not tonight.’ He considers for a moment, ignoring James's frustrated huff over the phone. ‘You’re coming to the meal tomorrow night, aren't you?’ 

‘Yeah.’

Joe nods to himself. ‘Great. I’ll come back to yours afterwards.’ There’s a bitten-off moan from James and Joe can’t help but feel slightly smug at how worked up James sounds, even from a relatively tame phone call. James sighs. ‘Why am I not surprised that you’re a tease?’ There’s another rustle of fabric from the phone. ‘Ok, I'll see you tomorrow then.’ 

Joe grins. He puts on his best over the top flirty voice, all innuendo. ‘See you tomorrow, big boy.’ He hears James laughing as he hangs up, and he settles into bed with a smile. 

All day, Joe is distracted. He messes up his lines more than once while filming, a big part of his brain thinking about the plans he's made with James that night. He can also admit to himself that he’s a bit worried about the whole thing. Clearly James had thought about it if he had been the one to bring it up, so he wasn’t expecting James to freak out half way through, but Joe didn’t know what else to expect. Was James going to blush and stammer his way through the whole dinner that evening? Had the thought of reciprocating even crossed his mind? Joe wasn’t planning on backing out on the offer, but he had to force himself to make the conscious decision to just go with the flow that evening, trusting his ability to read James to see them through. 

He gets home from filming, gets changed and heads out to meet the rest of the group for dinner. He’s one of the last to arrive, fashionably late rather than actually late so he gets mobbed by everyone as he walks in. He glances around and makes eye contact with James over Josh's head, and gets a smile and a quick wave in response. James isn’t blushing too badly, which Joe takes as a good sign. 

The dinner goes quickly, booze and conversation flowing. Joe makes a point to not drink too much, claiming to be filming the next day if anyone asks, and he notices that James sticks to only a beer or two as well. All too soon everyone is finishing their drinks and grabbing their coats to leave. Joe sees James hovering out of the corner of his eye and gestures to the door. ‘Coming?’ James nods sharply and they say their goodbyes to the rest of the group and slip away without anyone asking any further questions, for which Joe is glad. There’s no way James would hold up under even the gentlest interrogation, a flush high on his cheekbones giving him away. 

Joe carries most of the conversation on the way back to James's flat, filling the silence between them with stories of filming mishaps and his latest tangles with bureaucracy. James is relatively quiet, laughing in the right places but not contributing much himself. Joe can read the nervousness and tension in the set of James's shoulders as they reach the front door of the building. He feels compelled to say something, check in with James. ‘Hey, are you sure you’re OK with this?’ James looks back as he opens the door. ‘Yeah.’ Joe frowns. ‘You've hardly said a word to me all the way here. It’s enough to give a guy a complex.’ To his surprise and gratification James ducks his head and blushes bright. ‘Sorry, I was kinda distracted, thinking about why you're here.’ Joe feels his mouth curl into a grin. ‘Oh really?’ 

James blushes more, but his gaze is steady and warm as his eyes meet Joe’s and he shrugs. Joe beams and gestures to the doorway. ‘In that case, lead on!’ 

James leads them up the stairs and through the door to his flat. Joe drops his bag, hangs his coat up and toes off his shoes. He looks round to see that James has done the same and is watching him with dark eyes. Joe feels his spine straighten, heat unfurling in his belly as the intent in James's eyes hits him. He takes half a step forward, towards the living room. ‘Right, shall we?’ He’s about to say more when James pushes himself off the wall where he had been slouching and advances on Joe. 

Joe has known James for a number of years, and prides himself on knowing him well. Not as well as Nish or Josh or Ed, but he considers him a good friend. However, this version of James is entirely new to him, his awkward limbs transformed into something fluid and nearly predatory as he stalks across the hallway. Joe holds his ground, refusing to back himself against the wall, even though the thought of James pinning him there is suddenly very appealing. James gets right up in Joe’s personal space, one hand coming up to cup his face and Joe has a moment to register what’s happening before James kisses him. 

Joe loves kissing, whether on TV for a joke or in his personal life, and he can tell James is the same by the way he kisses, not in any rush to go any further even though they both know where the evening is ending up. They kiss slow and deep, tongues tangling together, neither of them dominating the kiss but finding an easy rhythm between them that builds the heat in Joe’s belly. He grabs at James and finds himself retreating to the wall behind him regardless of his earlier hesitation, pulling James the last few steps with a hand on his ass that makes James groan into his mouth. Joe takes the moment to pull back a bit, breaking the kiss but keeping James close. His voice is low when he speaks, murmuring into the space between them. ‘Not that I’m not really enjoying this, but... It’s not exactly what I was expecting.’ James grins, pressing a bit firmer against Joe. ‘What? Did you really think I was the sort of guy to let someone suck my dick without kissing them first?’ His voice is a deep rumble that makes Joe twitch in his trousers, feeling himself getting hard as James rolls his hips against him, the brief press of his own erection enough to spur Joe to kiss him again. One hand continues to grope James's ass and the other reaches up to tangle in his hair, prompting a moan that has Joe throbbing in his trousers. It occurs to him that this is probably the first time James is kissing someone nearly as tall as he is but it doesn't seem to phase him in the slightest. There’s something intoxicating about seeing him like this, inhibitions falling by the wayside as their hips grind together and they kiss and kiss and kiss. 

It takes an extraordinary amount of willpower for Joe to push James away, and one look at him almost makes him drag them back together. James is flushed and breathing hard, his mouth kiss-swollen and shiny. It’s a good look on him. Joe’s tongue darts across his bottom lip and he feels a rush of pleasure when James's eyes follow the movement. ‘As much as I’m enjoying this, you were promised a blowjob, and my knees would never forgive me if I sucked you off right here.’ James bites back a groan but grabs Joe’s hand and leads them to the living room. 

James drops heavily onto the sofa, spreading his legs and managing to look completely obscene and somehow shy at the same time. Joe groans and shifts the coffee table backwards so he has enough space. James passes him a cushion as Joe settles on his knees in front of him. ‘For your knees.’ Joe grins at the slight edge of sarcasm in James's tone, but at the same time he’s touched by the gesture and makes himself comfortable, running his hands up James's long legs. He grins as James's legs fall even further apart at his touch, eyeing up the not insignificant bulge at his crotch. ‘Oh you really have been hard up for it, haven’t you?’ James shifts his hips impatiently as Joe outlines the shape of his cock in his trousers with one hand, but doesn’t respond. Joe starts unbuckling James's belt. ‘Or are you always like this, this needy?’ James moans as Joe gets the belt undone and starts on his fly. ‘Oh my god, shut up Joe.’ 

Joe feels his grin turn sly as he manoeuvres James's trousers open, stroking him through his underwear just to hear the noise he makes, the sharp intake of breath intoxicating. 'You know, there is one way to shut me up.' He glances up to see James watching him with dark eyes, the desire clear on his face. James smiles when they make eye contact, one big hand coming up to stroke through Joe's hair, the other pushing his underwear out of the way to reveal his cock, thick and heavy. Joe feels his grin go slack, distracted by the masterpiece in front of him, his hand batting James's away before stroking along from root to tip. James sighs at the touch, and when Joe glances back up he looks very pleased with himself. 'Well that's definitely shut you up.' 

Joe wants to roll his eyes, but he's far too distracted. 'Of course you have a perfect cock. It's not enough that you're kind and generous and funny as fuck, oh no, you have to be hung like a fucking mule, too.' James chuckles above him but it quickly turns into a gasp as Joe licks a stripe up the length of his cock. He does it again to see what other noises he can coax from James, this time being rewarded with a sigh and a whine as he swirls his tongue around the head, tasting him before taking the whole head into his mouth and sucking gently. There’s a soft thunk and when Joe glances up James’s head has fallen against the back of the sofa, exposing the long line of his throat in a way that makes Joe want to leave marks. He resists the urge, instead sinking his mouth as far down as he could manage. James groans, the hand in Joe’s hair tightening but he doesn’t push as Joe revels in the feel of him in his mouth, the fullness and weight on his tongue, the velvety soft skin under his tongue, the stretch and ache in his jaw. It’s been far too long since he did this and as he starts to move, he can’t think why he left it so long. 

After a few bobs of his head, Joe tries to get his hand around the rest of James’s cock that he can’t fit in his mouth, but James’s trousers and underwear get in the way. He pulls off with a slick sound, unable to resist a cheeky swirl of his tongue against the sensitive spot just underneath the head. James gasps, his head rolling forward to look at Joe with some effort. Joe grins, pulling at James’s trousers. ‘Come on, let’s get these out the way so I can really get to work.’ James just nods, lifting his hips and helping Joe pull his trousers and underwear off, slipping his socks off at the same time until he’s naked from the waist down, settling bare-assed back onto his sofa with a sigh. Joe settles back in his previous position and soon he’s got James’s cock back in his mouth, one hand wrapped around the sizeable amount he can’t fit and his other hand trailing over James’s skin, gently scraping his nails along skinny thighs, cupping heavy balls dusted with dark blond hair. James gasps, cock throbbing in Joe’s mouth, hand returning to bury in his hair. There’s a fine tremor in the muscles under Joe’s hand and he appreciates how much James is holding back, keeping his hips still so he doesn’t cause Joe to choke. He swiftly settles into a steady rhythm that has an almost constant flow of soft gasps and moans falling from James’s mouth. 

Joe shifts on his knees and feels his own erection rub against the inside of his trousers. He deliberately ignores it for the moment, focussing instead on the volume of James’s noises as they increase, his hips twitching minutely, his hand firm against Joe’s head. Joe doubles his efforts; he was planning to draw this out, savour the one chance he would have to do this but he’s struck with the urge to make James come, to hear the noises he makes and taste him on his tongue. It doesn’t take long for James to gasp out. ‘Joe, I’m gonna…’ Joe hums with James’s cock deep in his mouth, acknowledging but not stopping for a moment. James gasps again. ‘Oh fuck,  _ fuck… _ !’ His hips stutter but Joe is ready for it, going with the movement as James cries out and the first pulse of cum hits the back of his throat. It seems to last for ages, Joe swallowing as fast as he can until James sags back with a sigh. Joe pulls back slowly, tongue softly pressing as he goes, making James twitch with oversensitivity. He sits back on his heels, hands resting on James’s thighs and swallows one final time, surveying his handiwork. 

James is slumped boneless on the sofa, head tilted back and eyes closed, chest rapidly rising and falling as he catches his breath. The blush on his face spreads down his neck and beneath the collar of the shirt that he’s somehow still got on, but that only makes him more endearing to Joe. He pulls himself off the floor with a groan, part from his complaining knees and part from the insistent throb of his own cock. He carefully settles next to James on the sofa and contemplates just getting his cock out and jerking off, his need far more urgent now he’s not distracted. Just as he’s about to at least adjust himself through his trousers, James’s eyes slide open and he rolls his head on the sofa to look at Joe, a wide smile on his face. ‘That was… I needed that.’ Joe can’t help but smile back. ‘I would say so.’ James’s gaze darts down to Joe’s crotch, and Joe watches as his lips part, his tongue darting out to wet them. He can’t hold back his groan and James’s gaze snaps back to his face, intent dulled by the fact he had already come, but surprisingly still present. James hauls himself up from his slouch and leans in to kiss Joe again. Joe leans in too before hesitating, doubts filling his mind but James doesn’t stop, pressing a slow kiss to his lips before his tongue darts out to taste, cautious at first before deepening the kiss. Joe groans as James tastes himself in Joe’s mouth, kissing for a long moment. 

As they kiss, James's hand rests on Joe's chest before sliding downwards. Joe has to break the kiss and inhale sharply as James's hand reaches his crotch, clumsily groping him through his trousers. Joe swallows hard, even as his hips press into the friction. 'You don't have to, honestly I can just go jerk off in the bathroom or something.' James cuts him off with another kiss, his hand more sure, fingers working against Joe's fly. He pulls back again and Joe whines in the back of his throat before he can stop himself. James's lips quirk up into a little grin. 'I'm not an asshole Joe, of course I'm going to get you off too.' Joe tries to respond but all he can do is gasp as James gets his trousers undone and thrusts his hand into Joe's underwear to grasp his cock. James makes a soft little 'oh' of surprise that makes Joe twitch in his hand and slowly starts to stroke. 

James can't move his hand very much and the angle is all wrong, but his inexperienced caresses are enough to send Joe hurtling towards the edge. The knowledge that James had thought about this, was so willing to kiss and touch another man for the first time is intoxicating. James gives a frustrated huff and before Joe can realise what's happening James lets go of his cock and works to free him properly from his underwear. James hesitates once he's got Joe's cock free, staring with wide eyes as he runs his fingers along the length, watching as it twitches. Joe can't hold back his groan as James's fingers circle the head of his cock, precum starting to leak from him, unable to tear his gaze away as James spreads the slickness around with the pad of his thumb. 

James glances back up at Joe's face, a shy grin on his lips. He moves back to kiss him, his hand returning to stroke his cock properly, no longer hindered by Joe's clothes. Joe sighs into the kiss, letting himself get lost in the sensations and not quite able to believe this is happening. James strokes him fast and tight, not quite how Joe would do it himself but it's still enough to get him close. He suddenly realises that this must be how James touches himself, and the thought is enough to send him careening over the edge. He breaks the kiss to gasp, panting against James's mouth as he comes, spilling all over his hand. James keeps his hand moving slowly until Joe relaxes, pressing slow, soft kisses to the corner of his mouth, his jawline, ducking to kiss his neck as Joe lets his head rest against the back of the sofa. He sighs. ‘Well that was lovely.’ 

James pulls back with a shy, proud grin on his face. ‘Yeah?’ Joe nods. ‘Yeah. For a beginner.’ James laughs softly, giving Joe’s softening cock a gentle squeeze before he moves his hand away. Joe watches as James holds his hand awkwardly in the air, his other hand reaching for the tissues to clean them up. He passes one to Joe who cleans himself up and tucks himself away, watching as James carefully wipes Joe’s come from his fingers. James throws the used tissues into the bin in the corner of the room before settling back down next to Joe on the sofa. There’s something hesitant about his actions, shifting closer to Joe as if he wanted to cuddle close but unsure of his welcome. Joe rolls his eyes and lifts up his arm in an unmistakable gesture. James looks embarrassed but takes the unspoken offer, cuddling close and throwing his own arm around Joe’s waist. Joe can’t help the smile on his face as he pulls James that little bit closer. 

They sit there like that for a while, not talking but enjoying their closeness. Eventually Joe can’t prevent himself from yawning. ‘Sorry.’ James shakes his head, shifting back so they are sat next to each other, still close. Joe ignores how much he misses James’s warmth pressed against him. James smiles, relaxed but shy. 'You're welcome to stay over. As long as you don't have to be up early for filming.' Joe smiles at the teasing tone to James's voice. 'No, for once I am free.' He reaches out and grabs James's hand, tangling their fingers together, his voice soft and genuine. 'I'd love to stay over.' 

The smile that breaks over James's face makes Joe's heart thump in his chest. James stands, pulling Joe up by their joined hands. 'C'mon.' Joe lets himself be pulled, up off the sofa and along the corridor to James's bedroom. As he crosses the threshold into the cosy, comfortable room he allows himself to reflect on the evening. It had been so much more than he was expecting, and also so completely James that it made perfect sense. He feels James tug on his hand, breaking him out of his thoughts. 'You OK?' 

Joe nods, pulling James in for another kiss, the ease with which James moves into him lighting a warm glow of affection in his chest. He feels himself smile into the kiss. 'I'm just perfect.' James smiles back, and Joe can't help but wonder how this new chapter in their friendship is going to evolve. 


End file.
